Chapter 3 - Escape

Lynna was about to tie her necklace back around her neck when an explosion rattled Zora's Domain. The string slipped from her hands, the pendant and scale glittering innocently as they fell to the floor. Before she could pick them up, she felt pressure around her waist, quickly followed by a sudden jerk towards the waterfall.

She was airborne for a moment before her body passed through the sheet of water that was the waterfall. In that brief moment, she saw a flash of violet light come from the entrance from Zora's River, accompanied by the screams of the zoras; screams now muffled by the waterfall.

Before she could regain her balance, she was pinned against the back wall of the small void behind the waterfall. Her captor pushed her back against the cold rock with his right forearm, and, with his left hand, covered her mouth to stop her from screaming. Lynna squirmed and tried to pull his hand off of her mouth, but he only held her more still by pushing more forcefully against her.

She tried to yell. Even though his hand muffled her voice, she was still quite audible. Suddenly, his face was mere inches from hers, his red eyes gazing intently into her own.

"Unless you want to be trapped with the zoras, I suggest you stop," His voice was hardly above a whisper. She stopped trying to yell, but still writhed against his grip. In the brief silence behind the waterfall, she could hear more screaming, but also something new. A menacing sound that seemed to make the air thicker. "Please…I'm a friend, you can trust me."

Her body relaxed. She didn't know why she believed him. She had never trusted any outsider other than her brother, so why should this one be trusted? Maybe it was the pleading tone in his voice, or maybe it was the look in his eyes -- a look that conveyed nothing but good intentions. Or it might have been the sudden chill in the air that let her know that he had just taken her from something truly dangerous.

He loosened his grip slightly, but not so much that he wouldn't be able to restrain her again. After a few moments, and it became clear that Lynna had no intention of struggling further, he let go completely and stood next to her, his back also against the wall.

She quietly panted, her breath forming white clouds. She looked over at the young man standing next to her, really looking at him for the first time. He was dressed in skin-tight blue fabric, accompanied by a tattered piece of white cloth that covered the front of his torso and concealed the lower half of his face. His blonde hair stuck to his face from passing under the waterfall.

She leaned a little closer to him, then whispered urgently, "Do you know what's going on?"

He turned towards her and looked as if he was going to answer her, but then he shifted his gaze towards the waterfall, his eyes wide with fear. He silently motioned for her to be quiet, then soundlessly moved in front of her, facing the waterfall. She peered over his shoulder to see what caused him to be so frightened.

There was a large, imposing silhouette of a man against the waterfall. The figure seemed to be standing right in front of the waterfall, even though Lynna knew that to be impossible. She noticed at that moment that all was quiet except for the waterfall. The figure seemed pensive for a moment, then a deep chuckle came from him, followed by the same menacing sound from before.

The waterfall froze mid-flow, and Lynna knew then what had happened to the zoras.

The figure, now distorted by ice, laughed. And then he strode away, his mirth echoing in the nearly lifeless Zora's Domain even as he left for the River.

Then silence.

Lynna did not dare to breath. She was as still as stone, until she began to shake in shock. The young man that she was now trapped with turned to face her.

"He's gone now…Are you alright?" he asked softly. Her chin trembled as she slowly nodded. He placed his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "That's good," He walked over to the ice sheet that now blocked their entrance and began to tap experimentally on it. He murmured something under his breath and pressed his hand firmly against the ice.

The ice around his hand glowed orange, and heat came from it. But it did not melt. He thought for a moment, then pulled a small dagger from his hip. He held it with both hands above his head. He brought it down with force enough to go through a dodongo's hide, only to let out a yelp as it ricocheted off of the ice, causing his arms to vibrate painfully. He rubbed his arms to dull the pain, then sighed as he picked up the dagger and sheathed it.

Lynna sat on the ground, hugging her knees. She was shivering violently from the cold. "H-hey….if w-we don't get out of h-here and I d-die from hypothermia…you can use me for f-f-food if you want…" She chuckled at the though of herself stuffed, on a plate of lettuce, with an apple in her mouth.

He knelt down beside her. "Don't talk like that…I just need a minute to think and then I can get us out of --" He suddenly stood up, bringing a palm forcefully to his forehead. "Of course, why didn't I think of it before?" He seemed to be talking more to himself than to Lynna. He pulled out a small harp and tuned it slightly.

Lynna was brought out of her pessimistic daze by the tone of his voice. She stood up and eyed him curiously. "I d-don't think this is the right time for a f-folk tune," she laughed through chattering teeth.

He looked her in the eyes, saying softly, "Do you trust me?"

She grinned slightly. "I have a ch-choice?"

"Hold on to me."

She cautiously held onto his arm. The warmth of his arm kept her hands from trembling. His lips curled into an unseen smile as he began to pluck the harp strings. It was a short, yet unsettling song.

"Th-that was lovely," Lynna said.

"Thank you," he replied.

She felt a sudden warm, lifting feeling as she and the young man dissolved into violet light.